# Er 10/20/05 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199 "2005-10-21T03:05:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/1 "2005-10-21T03:05:26Z")
Looking for the name of the actress playing Stephanie the breast cancer patient in tonight’s episode. It is driving me crazy as I recognize her but I can’t remember from where. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/2 "2005-10-21T03:14:00Z")
She is Ross’s ex wifes lesbian life partner on friends. Her name is Jessica Hecht (I’m pretty sure I’m right) I love the addition of John Leguizamo. I’d hate to lose him, I love his character. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/3 "2005-10-21T03:16:52Z")
> [@drm](#): > > She is Ross’s ex wifes lesbian life partner on friends. Her name is Jessica Hecht (I’m pretty sure I’m right) > > I love the addition of John Leguizamo. I’d hate to lose him, I love his character. Thanks! Good show tonight. The new folks might bring me back to watching every week. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/4 "2005-10-21T05:04:55Z")
This is the first time in a while I was pleased with the show. I really liked John Leguizamo’s character. I was so disappointed with Kristen Johnson last week I almost didn’t even bother to watch tonight, and that would be a first for me since the show started. Glad the SO passed out on me early! ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/5 "2005-10-21T05:41:57Z")
Last week’s episode showed signs of non-sucktitude, but this week’s was bordering on halfway decent. I am duly encouraged. I muted it for a second by accident when Kerry was explaining who the new doc was replacing. I assume it was Susan, right? What was the explanation? That she just wanted to leave? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/6 "2005-10-21T06:08:12Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > I muted it for a second by accident when Kerry was explaining who the new doc was replacing. I assume it was Susan, right? What was the explanation? That she just wanted to leave? She took a job in Iowa City, apparently without mentioning it to anyone but Kerry. Laziest ER write-out ever! ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/7 "2005-10-21T12:07:12Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > She took a job in Iowa City, apparently without mentioning it to anyone but Kerry. Laziest ER write-out ever! I haven’t watched it yet, but I take it this means Susan Lewis is gone? Just like that? And what happened to Jing-Mei? I know Ming-Na is on another show now, but was there ever an explanation for her character leaving? ---
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/8 "2005-10-21T14:04:41Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > I haven’t watched it yet, but I take it this means Susan Lewis is gone? Just like that? > And what happened to Jing-Mei? I know Ming-Na is on another show now, but was there ever an explanation for her character leaving? Susan can be written back in just as quickly as she was written out. Regarding Jing-Mei, It was Christmas Eve, and Jing-Mei asked Susan (who was her boss) to take the night off because she wanted to be with her father (who had been gradually dying a painful death, and was having an especially bad night). Because there was already a shortage of ER docs working that night, Susan said “No”. Then Jing-Mei said something like “Sorry Susan, but I quit”. She and Pratt then went to be with her father, who kept begging her to euthanize him, and eventually she did. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/9 "2005-10-21T14:40:14Z")
> [@drm](#): > > I love the addition of John Leguizamo. I’d hate to lose him, I love his character. I agree, my wife doesn’t. She feels that she can’t take Leguizamo seriously as a dramatic actor (don’t ask me). She also dislikes Leguizamo’s character as written, dismissing him as an annoying prick. But come on … they’re just making him out to be an ass now so that they can soften him up later, _a la_ Dr. Romano. The acting chops they are bringing to the _ER_ set is getting pretty potent. On top of Leguizamo, I was glad to see Danny Glover as Pratt’s biological father. Hope Glover’s character stays around. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/10 "2005-10-21T15:56:13Z")
When did they soften up Romano? Unless you mean the soft puddle of mucus he became when the heliocopter fell on him. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/11 "2005-10-21T16:17:17Z")
> [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > When did they soften up Romano? They did it very sparingly, to great effect. The two times I remember most were him signing to Benton’s deaf son once, and his reaction to Lucy’s (?) death in the stabbing incident with Carter. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/12 "2005-10-21T16:47:43Z")
> [@](#): > > She also dislikes Leguizamo’s character as written, dismissing him as an annoying prick. But come on … they’re just making him out to be an ass now so that they can soften him up later, a la Dr. Romano. I disagree, I think that Romano was a complete jerk with moments of kindness. Leguizamo’s character is generally a nice guy who cares about doing right by the patient. Remember, him helping out Ray with the plant id by flashing the name of it when he was talking about it with the tox guy. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/er-10-20-05/327199/13 "2005-10-21T17:04:34Z")
> [@brujo](#): > > Remember, him helping out Ray with the plant id by flashing the name of it when he was talking about it with the tox guy. Well, you’re right – the characters are different. Romano would’ve busted into the room and ID’d the plant in a way that belittled Ray for not knowing. > [@Happy Lendervedder](#): > > When did they soften up Romano? On top of what **Telemark** wrote, there was also the demonstrations of Romano’s feelings for Elizabeth a few seasons back.